Most of the people that read this blog are based in Japan like me or are people that know me in real life so it was nice to branch out a little bit. Through following some new blogs I learnt about Jodie at Mummy Mayhem who is running a meme of sorts where bloggers post pictures of themselves without make-up. You can read the backstory behind the idea here.

Anyone that knows me in RL knows that I rarely, if ever, go outside without make-up on. I am EXACTLY the same as my mum in this way. It only takes me 5 minutes to put my “face” on- so it isn`t like I go to a lot of trouble (honestly it takes my husband longer to do his hair!) but I think that is because I have perfected my “day” make-up over the years and that is why I have it down to a 5 minute routine.

So I present a picture of Noah & I- taken this morning using the mac application “photo booth”- we are BOTH without make-up. HAHA. Not TOO bad huh? Helps that there is a cute baby in there to distract you perhaps?

Anyway- I encourage anyone out there that wants to join in to do so! Be sure to head to Mummy Mayhem and sign up- would be cool if we could get it going all around the world with some more participants in Japan!!!

Eight things I am looking forward to:

1. Meeting Goma-chan
2. Niigata this weekend and seeing Nay & Sarah
3. Getting health insurance
4. Having my mum visit in December/January (and then possibly my Dad in January and my brother and Gemma at Easter next year)
5. Finding our own apartment/house and moving into it.
6. Eating real cheese (sometime in the near future I hope)
7. Summer festivals and fireworks
8. BBQ with friends the weekend after next to catch up with Ryomei, an old uni friend who will be in town from Germany!

Eight things I did yesterday:

1. Cry about health insurance
2. Argue with my MIL
3. Watch Gossip Girl
4. Meet up with James to get my license translated
5. Have Vietnamese for lunch with James
6. Ate Aussie beef for dinner.
7. Chat with Sarah
8. Study some kanji

Eight things I wish I could do:

1. Eat real cheese
2. Move
3. Stop throwing up
4. Travel to Korea for a weekend
5. Find some private students
6. Make bread
7. Go to a beach with Shun for a whole week- Okinawa or Guam anyone?
8. Sew better…

Eight shows I watch:

1. Grey`s Anatomy
2. Private Practice
3. The Mentalist
4. The Closer
5. Gossip Girl
6. ER (Although sadly now it has finished)
7. How I met your Mother
8. My Name is Earl

Eight favorite fruits:

1. Strawberries
2. Peaches
3. Plums
4. Apricots
5. Grapes
6. Mikan
7. Blueberries
8. Pineapple

Eight places I’d like to travel:

1. Vietnam
2. Korea
3. Egypt
4. NZ with Shun
5. Mexico
6. New York
7. Guam
8. Ireland

Eight places I’ve lived:

1. Manly, Queensland
2. Birkdale, Queensland
3. Thornlands, Queensland
4. Capalaba, Queensland
5. Chiba, Japan
6. Kichijoji, Tokyo
7. Nakano, Tokyo
8. And sadly, that is all!

Now I have to tag 8 people- let`s see.

Mandy, Khea, Nay, Sassy, Corrinne, Midori, Melanie and Vicky. Don`t worry it is not compulsary though! Anyone else that would like to steal it can also feel free!

First, Illahee tagged me for this meme (and then someone else did also I think and I can not for the life of me remember who, sorry!)- and I need to respond in one word. Any of you who know me know that using a one word answer is extremely difficult for me as I prefer to use lots of words to answer even the simplest of questions.

1. Where is your cell phone?bed

2. Where is your significant other? living

3. Your hair colo? brownyred

4. Your mother? generous

5. Your father? unwell

6. Your favorite thing? Shun

7. Your dream last night? oboetenai

8. Your dream/goal? happiness

9. The room you’re in? bedroom

10. Your hobby? reading

11. Your fear? spiders

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? mum

13. Where were you last night? out

14. What you’re not? rich

15. One of your wish-list items? DSLR

16. Where you grew up? Brisbane

17. The last thing you did? shower

18. What are you wearing? PJ`s

19. Your TV? Crap

20. Your pet? Outside

21. Your computer? mac

22. Your mood?sleepy

23. Missing someone? Cat

24. Your car? crap

25. Something you’re not wearing? shoes

26. Favorite store? borders

27. Your summer? starting

28. Love someone? yes

29. Your favorite color? pink

30. When is the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? Wednesday

The other meme I was tagged for was the following (which I have done before I think!?) by Ami from Writing: My Life . The five things meme…

Five Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago:

1. Starting highschool
2. Running
3. Dreaming of my future.
4. Living with my parents in Capalaba
5. Making new friends, only several of whom I am still in contact with.

Five Things On My To Do List:

1. Sew a bag
2. Finish my christmas shopping
3. Update my “books read” list
4. Finalize everything for the wedding which is now less than six months away
5. Return the DVDs we took out today so that we can avoid the late fees we ALWAYS get

Five Things I Like To Snack On:

1. Cheesy rice crisp thingies
2. Green apples
3. Chocolate
4. Allen`s pineapple lollies
5. cheese

Five Things I Would Do If I Was A Millionaire:

1. Give money to my parents, brother & friends
2. Buy a house in Japan & Australia (am I several million dollar millionaire?)
3. Put money in a high interest savings account for our future kids
4. Travel to Egypt, Vietnam, New York & somewhere in South America
5. Open a bookstore in Japan & write a lot more…

Five Places I Have Lived:

1. Capalaba
2. Lota
3. Manly
4. Kichijoji
5. Nakano

Five Jobs I Have Had:

1. Check-out chick at K-mart
2. Tour liason officer for Japanese students
3. Preschool teacher
4. Assistant manager for a company helping foreign women in Japan
5. P.A/Administrator

Five People I Am Tagging:

 you, you, you, you & you -Anybody feel free to do thi!

Outside my window… a storm is rolling in and I can see Abbey running around the house because she knows it is coming (outside Kitchen window) but outside my bedroom window I can see the park & the wet mudflats as the tide has been in and is on its way out again…

I am thinking… how nice it is that my father and fiance get on so well despite their communication issues. As Shun`s english gets better and the more time they spend together it is so lovely to see. They have jsut finished preparing dinner and it is in the oven and now they have sat down to play a game of chess. I love seeing my two favourite men spend time together and enjoying each others company.

I am thankful for… the fact this week is almost over. I am also thankful for the fact I am now on the books at work meaning that even though I am sick today and will have to take dad to an appointment on Monday I can use flex time and sick days to cover for it even though it will mean working longer hours Tues-Fri of next week. I also very thankful for the fact I am able to spend time with my family this year and that Shun came with me and that he is enjoying his time here so much.

From the kitchen… well I can smell the chicken stew the boys have prepared for dinner but the last thing I made was Thai Beef Salad on Tuesday night when mum came for dinner. I have been inspired by Nay to create a recipe book and have got the book and hope to get started this weekend- might even inspire me to do some baking although the oven here is kind of a little bit old and dodgy!!

I am wearing… my pajamas. Grey 3/4 pants and a burnt orange/red singlet. Also glasses, watch, bracelet, engagement ring & jade bangle.

I am creating…. plans for the future and a life for Shun & I. I am also creating a recipe book as mentioned and also doing some sewing when I get the chance. I am also creating ideas for a Christmas to show Shun what Christmas in Australia is all about!

I am going… spend at least half an hour writing after dinner, completing some of my homework for the writing workshop I am participating in. I need to stop procrastinating and worrying so much about whether or not what I write is any good and just let it all out.

I am reading…“The Salaryman`s wife”  by Sujata Massey and am loving it. Thank you so much to Sara for recommending it and I can not wait to get started on the next one. I am also reading and flicking through “The Pocket Muse” and looking for good christmas recipes in a recent Donna Hay magazine.

I am hoping… that my father lives until 80 at the least. Also, hoping I feel better tomorrow and that Shun can manage to give up smoking.

I am hearing… the rain come down and the thunder booming.

Around the house… are books, magazines, journals, clothes and windows that I should probably close.

One of my favourite things… is having late night chats with Shun and giggling together. Another favourite thing…to wander around bookshops and breathe in the smell of the books and touch them!!! I could live in a bookstore (if I had a pillow, blanket, fridge, computer & Shun)

A few plans for the rest of the week… Supposed to have dinner tomorrow night with a friend of Shun`s frm language school if I am feeling better. For the rest of the weekend? Might catch a movie otherwise just some sewing, writing, playing with Abbey and a walk!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing…

BRIGHT

I am tagging… Jen, Nooh, Suzy, Mandy & Katie.

I think this is getting published JUST before the power goes out. The storm is big!

The rules are to post the sixth photo in the sixth folder on your computer. Some have done this and others have taken their sixth photo on flickr or in the 6th folder on flickr, or the sixth photo on their phones.

I have decided, first to post the sixth photo in the sixth folder on my computer- This computer only holds the photos from the last year so they are all fairly recent.

The photo was taken soon after I came back to Australia, before Shun arrived. It is from a dinner I had out with my friend Clarie (who is one of my bridesmaids) and some girls I went to highschool with who I no longer have much to do with for various reasons. The girl with the blond hair in this photo, Anna & I used to be very close.

Anna & Hayley

And this sixth photo in my sixth folder on flickr- Well it is from Disney Sea! I just liked the name of the building and I took the photo when we were on a boat ride.

Even though I wasn`t tagged I am going to tag six people just for fun- they can do it if they want to but certainly don`t have to!

Guera, Enny (Because I love to see yellow smiley faces), Sara, Benay, CoffeeGrl, and Phil.

Nablopomo is not complete with out at least one meme!

Ages ago Nay tagged me for this meme and I am only just getting around to passing it on!

I thought about this a lot and I want to pass it onto two people whose blogs I love to read because I wanted to choose one blogger based in Japan and another based in Australia because while I started my blog in Japan I am now back in Australia for awhile and I want this link lovin` to cross over onto both countries!

Firstly, a Japan based blogger who I love to read is TJ in Japan - I am pretty sure I found T`s blog linked off perhaps Sara or Nay`s blog or perhaps in the comments of another blog I read. I am a fairly new reader to this blog since she only started blogging earlier this year. I started reading this blog around the same time as Gaijin Wife`s blog. T is a fellow Aussie who blog about her family and life in Japan. Recently she was so kind and sent me translations of her wedding ceremony as she knew I was worried about what to do with our ceremony because there will be people there that do not speak or understand English very well! I do read a lot of Japan based blogs especially blogs belonging to other females with Japanese partners and this is, like I said, one of my favourites! T is coming back to Australia at Christmas time and I hope I get a chance to meet her then as she is from Brisbane too!

And now I am supposed to choose someone from her blogroll who I have never read except she doesn`t have a blog roll and all her recent comments are by people whose blogs I already read! So T if you are reading please link to someone in the comments section whose blog would be on your blogroll if you had one who I might not be reading!

Now, the Aussie blog I choose was also a tough choice! But in the end I decided to pass it over to Enny who I got to see last weekend when she was in town for Jen`s goodbye party! Enny came to Tokyo last year and that is when I got to meet her for the first time! It was awesome and she was very much like her blog! If that makes sense.

I found Enny`s blog through Jen`s blog which was one of my first non-Japan blogs that I read! hehe! Enny, who has recently just gotten engaged to her beau, writes about her everyday life and her family and what I love most about is that her obvious love for her family! She will be celebrating 600 posts soon so you should definitely pop over and give her some ideas for it and also congratulate her on her engagement! I was lucky enough to congratulate her in person last weekend!!!

Enny`s blogroll is quite long and contains a lot of blogs I don`t read so I did inni mini miny mo to choose one and I came up with Oh! How Lovely! ! I have never stumbled onto this blog before during my internet travels but it was a lovely find! Firstly her design is pink! I LOVE PINK so I am now in love! And the best thing about her is she is American which means this little meme will be going across three countries now (It may have already but I am not sure!)- So there you go! Australia, Japan & America. Perhaps she will pass it onto someone in another country! I am all for blogging in the name of international relations! I stumbled onto the about page and it says Jaime (blog owner`s name!) “Just a 20-something in Chicago trying to keep my head above water. Neurotic, over-thinking, shameless celebrity gossip addict, bad tv watching girl with expensive taste and no money but completely adorable, if I do say so myself.” – I will need to take the time to read more of this blog but her most recent post is about how your blog got it`s name so why don`t you head over and let her know how your blog name came about!!!

I am sure this has been done before somewhere but ages ago I did a movie quote meme and it was a lot of fun so I introduce Lulu`s music lyric meme! Rules are below.

• List 10 lots of lyrics from 10 different songs (original singer is the answer that will count!)
•  No googling/searching
•  2 guesses max until others have had a turn to play
•  If you want to do this yourself, go ahead- I won`t be tagging anyone but anybody can  do it!

1. You must have known that I was lonely,
   Because you came to my rescue,
   And I know that this must be heaven,
   How could so much love be inside of you?-Stevie Wonder “You are the Sunshine of My Life”-There will definitely be Stevie Wonder at our wedding!
   
2. No matter how hard I try
   She has a reason just to pass me by
   She makes me cold in the summertime
   Doesn’t she now- “Katie Q” by Thirsty Merc-Another great Aussie band
   
3. We’ve compromised our pride
   And sacrificed out health
   We have to demand more
   Not of each other
   But more from ourselves- “Deep Water” by Jewel
   
4. Tomorrow’s getting harder make no mistake
   Luck ain’t even lucky
   Got to make your own breaks- Bon Jovi with “It`s my Life”- I put that in for you Mandy!
5. It’s coming round again
   The slowly creeping hand
   Of time and its demands- Paul got this with one of my fav songs of all time “These days” by Powderfinger
   
6. I want you to know, that I’m happy for you
   I wish nothing but the best for you both- Jen got it with Alanis Morrisette “You ought to know”
   
7. He’ll show you where the danger lies
   But he can’t help it if you capsize
   He’ll light your way but that is all- Jen again, The Waifs, “Lighthouse”
8. But now there’s nowhere to hide,
   since you pushed my love aside I’m not in my head- Sara got it with “Hopelessly Devoted To You” from Grease
9. Now Watergate does not bother me
   Does your conscience bother you?
   Tell the truth-Lynard Skynard with “Sweet Home Alabama”
10. But will you draw the line?
    Turn a blind eye to all the faces that you know- ” Katie” by Missy Higgins!

Here are the rules:
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment on their blog and tell them they’ve been tagged, and to come back and read your blog for the whole story.

I have actually done this meme before….which you can find here and also I have 100 facts about myself here but in the spirit of passing on a meme I will be happy to do it again.

1. My blood type is A+ and I only found this out recently. In Japan everybody knows their bloodtype and I had been asked so many times (Questions when you meet somebody new are usually where are you from? How old are you? When will you get married? and What is your blood type?) and a lot of people had said they thought I would be A (Yes Japanese people believe that bloodtype is like starsigns and that each bloodtype reveals a little bit about who your are!)….So there you have it I am A!
2. I have ridden in an ambulance three times…..and had one called for me one other time. All three times were because of something that had happened to me.
3. I have had three dogs, 2 birds and two fish in my lifetime! The dogs were Kelly, Abby and Sophie (Yes all female and yes they all had human sounding names), the bird were budge and bluie (Budge`s real name was seasle (sp?) be the budge) and the fish were Jo and Tilly! I have Jo to the preschool where I used to work cos I can`t take him home with me!
4. I once one a competition when I was about five for coloring in a pair of shoes in a magazine….I won canvas shoes with puffpaint designs on them (My memory is a little hazy on this? This could have been a dream…my mum would know)
5. My favourite flowers are gerberas and cherry blossoms. I can`t really have real cherry blossoms in my wedding (Even though that is the theme!) but am contemplating having gerberas!
6. When I was little I was scared of the dark (and I also thought a Native American Indian lady lived in my closet) and I slept with the light on until sometime in highschool! I still must always have the wardrobe closes when I sleep at night and prefer to have a little light coming in from somewhere!!!
7. I am not ticklish.
8. One of the most embarrasing things that ever happened to me was when I was about nine and in year four and we were having a fashion parade and I was parading togs (swimmers!) and one of the straps come down revealing one of my breasts and I didn`t notice…..Everyone in the whole class saw!

Now onto the tagging….eight people huh?! Ok here goes!

I tag Mandy, Sara, Nay, Illahee (It can be in letter form Illahee!), Guera, Paul , Amy (When you get back from Italy!) and Jo! Have fun with it guys!

Here are the rules:
~Pick fifteen of your favourite movies.
~Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
~Post them here for everyone to guess.
~Strike it out when someone guesses correctly in the comments, and put who guessed it and the movie.
~NO Googling or using IMDb search functions.

1. “I better have my lawyer take a look at these. I’m just a simple country boy. There’s all kinds of big words in here I can’t even pronounce. Hell, you might be takin’ me to the cleaners for all I know.” Nat got it with Sweet Home Alabama, Jake is such a cutie in this film!
2. “No I mean, do you really know where Harvard is? It’s another planet man- another universe. Totally unlike the one we know. Filled with big blond guys who eat ivy and row boats. What I’m trying to say is, you and Corey just aren’t made for each other. She’s different from you.” Amanda is correct with Empire Records, my favourite movie of all time with out a doubt!
3. “marriage is like a tense, unfunny version of Everybody Loves Raymond, only it doesn’t last 22 minutes. It lasts forever.” Jen got it with Knocked Up, a movie I saw when I was in Australia over Christmas!
4. ” Crème brûlée can never be Jell-O. YOU could never be Jell-O.” Jo was correct, it was My Best Friends Wedding starring Julia Robert!
5. “: You know, if we fix up this car, it could be make-out city, you know that.” Amanda again with Grease!
6. “This is smores stuff. First you take the graham. You stick the chocolate on the graham. Then, you roast the mallow. When the mallows flaming, you stick it on the chocolate and cover it with the other end. Then, you scarf.”Natalie got it with The Sandalot Kids, my favourite childhood movie and one of my fathers favourites still!!!
7. “Dolphins, yeah! They think they’re so cute. Oh, look at me, I’m a flippy little dolphin, let me flip for you. Ain’t I something?” I had thought it would be someone with kids that got this! Finding Nemo, thanks Illahee
8. “You were outside, I was inside. You were supposed to keep in touch with the band. I kept asking you if we were gonna play again.”
9. “This is a sin, it’s a wicked indulgence. Didn’t they have any butter pecan?” Illahee again!
10. “That’s a tough one. I would have to say April 25th. Because it’s not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.” Natalie got this one too!!! It is Miss Congeniality!
11. “Besides, that whole see-through blouse, colored-bra thing… reads a little, you know, desperate, older gal, trying to hard. Don’t you think? Yeah, you want to make him work for it.”Jo agin with Maid in Manhattan!
12. “You know Graham, I just broke up with someone and considering you just showed up and you’re insanely good-looking and probably won’t remember me anyway… I’m thinking we should have sex… If you want.” Tokenwoman got this with The Holiday, I am surprised it didn`t go sooner. When I saw this film last year I loved it, I thought it was one of the best romantic comedies to come out in awhile!
13. “Do you know the most surprising thing about divorce? It doesn’t actually kill you. Like a bullet to the heart or a head-on car wreck. It should. When someone you’ve promised to cherish till death do you part says “I never loved you,” it should kill you instantly. You shouldn’t have to wake up day after day after that, trying to understand how in the world you didn’t know. The light just never went on, you know. I must have known, of course, but I was too scared to see the truth. Then fear just makes you so stupid.” Madison got it with Under The Tuscan Sun, I am a huge fan of this movie because I would love to just pack up and move to Tuscany! Off to check out Madisons blog since she is new here! Thanks for participating Madison!
14. “Christ! what are you? 15? My God man! You gotta be gettin’ that young stuff! The young stuff is the best stuff in the world. Your jail bait, their jail bait. You turn sixteen and your looking at three to five. Jac got this, It is Little Miss Sunshine, one of the best movies I watched last year!
15. The difference between you and I is that you can leave anytime you choose. But this is my home.

If you know, have a guess! Try not to guess more than two at a time right away so that others can have a chance to play!!!

I promise to do a real post tomorrow! I have one in my drafts for J is for… but haven`t finished it yet!

ps: Well so far eight have gone, any suggestions on the others? Anyone can have a go!! If you have already had a guess, then have another! Thanks to those who have played so far!

Update: Only three left! Lets see who can get the last three. Some hints. No 8 was from a pretty old movie, I think it come out early 80`s and it features some awesome music and musician appearances! No. 12 is from a really new movie that I only saw last year and it stars some pretty famous actors! And no.15, well, a hint, Nicole Kidman is in it!